A/N: This story is getting so much fun to write! I'd like to thank those of you who added this to your alerts list the last time around, and also, a big thanks to those of you who are continuing to read this. It means a lot.
"Hot guy alert!" Nicki waltzed into Stephanie's bedroom and joined her on the oval rug in the center of the floor, where Stephanie was cuddled up to a content Dusty.
A few unpacked boxes remained in the corner of her room, filled with belongings she had removed from her old bedroom in Minnesota. She hadn't had much time to grab her things and get out, but she made it a point to take all of the important items, since there was no telling what would become of Gregory's and Melissa's home, in each of their extended absences. Vince and Linda had made good on their promise and flown Nicki in to stay with Stephanie for a while, likely until the remainder of Christmas break fizzled out and she had to return to school back home. Stephanie had to constantly remind herself that she needed to enroll in a school in Connecticut to finish out her nursing training, but it would have to wait until after the new year.
She couldn't wholeheartedly focus on much of anything after the sort of trip she had had to Minnesota, and especially after leaving the hospital. As if it wasn't bad enough that she had been turned away from visiting Melissa, Stephanie had shown up to the county jail and been told Gregory specifically requested no visitors, including his own daughter. The incident was perhaps the first time in her life that her heart had broken for herself, into a million fragmented pieces. He had stolen her, used her for his own selfish agenda, and then tossed her away, without even allowing her to confront him for what he had done. It hurt worse than any amount of physical pain she could ever be forced to endure.
"Are you even listening to me?" Nicki nudged Stephanie's arm with her elbow, effectively snapping her from her mental haze. Her chestnut hair pooled around her shoulders, and her hazel eyes brimmed with a perky excitement from behind her rectangular framed glasses.
"Huh?"
"There's a super hot guy down there with your dad. He's one of the wrestlers, I think."
"Which one?"
"He's a WCW guy," Nicki replied. "I heard them talking, and Vince is trying to get him to flip and join his company instead of staying with WCW."
"Is it working?" Stephanie wondered.
"Kinda seems like it."
"What are you guys gossiping about in here?" Shane stepped into frame and leaned in Stephanie's doorway, crossing his arms as he grinned between the two of them. He owned his own home with Marissa and usually spent his non-work days there, but Linda had told Stephanie he was staying closer to their house to spend time with and get to know her. Having missed out on years with his only sibling, there was plenty of excluded time and opportunity Shane hoped to make up. Stephanie appreciated his gracious efforts and returned them by reaching out to him as often as she could, although Marissa seemed suspiciously standoffish.
"Hey, Shane," Stephanie greeted. Nicki had only been staying with them for a couple of days, but it was more than enough time to help Stephanie ease into the transition of getting to know her family. She was already feeling much more adjusted than she had on her first evening in the McMahon household. "Is there a guy talking to our dad downstairs?"
"You mean Chris Jericho?" Shane asked.
"It's Chris Jericho?" Stephanie perked up, eyes gaining an extra twinkle.
"Do I detect some personal interest?" he raised an eyebrow and strolled farther into her room, standing tall above her and Nicki, with a Cheshire grin spreading like wildfire across his face. "You like the guy?"
"He's a good wrestler," Stephanie shrugged.
"He's a great wrestler," Shane agreed. He lowered himself to the floor, crossing his legs in front. "Did you know you actually started watching wrestling when you turned three?"
"I did?"
"You did," he nodded. "I used to try to watch by myself, but you were always coming into my room back then, and you would walk in and stand by my bed while I watched."
"I was probably so annoying," Stephanie wrinkled her nose.
"Nah, I didn't think you were annoying," Shane said, laughing when she raised an eyebrow to challenge him. "All right, fine, maybe some of the time I thought you were, but, for the most part, I liked having you around. I used to pick you up and put you on my bed, and you'd watch with me. When wrestling came on, that was the only time you would actually sit still and have some sort of an attention span. That's why it's going to be great when you start working with us at our corporate offices. You were made for this business."
"But she's a nurse," Nicki cut in, Stephanie glaring her to silence before she could say anything more.
Nicki's sheepish form shrank inside itself as she mouthed a frantic apology to Stephanie and looked away. She hadn't meant to spill the beans, because it was well-known that Stephanie didn't want her family to know she had no intentions of working for them. Her heart was in the nursing industry, and that was what she had worked so diligently to accomplish with her academics. There was a clear career path set out before her, and she had no intentions of turning her back on it. How that would sit with the McMahons was a whole different story, and she didn't want to delve into that territory with them until she found a delicate way to express her plans. Unfortunately, Nicki had already done the dirty work for her.
Shane's crinkled brow formed a V in the space where his nose and forehead met, and his eyes darted between hers and Nicki's so many times that Stephanie lost count. He was trying to read her and figure out what truth, if any, there was to what Nicki had said. From what Stephanie could tell, it seemed to be the common assumption amongst her family that she was going to share the same profession as them and work in the family business, but she wasn't entirely sure she was cut out for it. Sure, there were parts of the wrestling business that may have coursed through her blood, simply because of the family she was born into, but, in her time away, she had established a love for what she did in the medical world.
"You're already a nurse?" Shane asked. "I thought you said you were still in school back home."
"Well, I still have another semester left before I'm supposed to graduate, but, yeah, I'm in nursing school and planning on being a registered nurse when I get out," Stephanie admitted. Shane's face dropped and, suddenly, she wanted to say anything to dispel the disappointment on his face. "I'm open to changing fields, though. I mean, if you guys want me working with you, we can talk about it and see what we come up with."
His relief was instant, and each wrinkle in his brow flattened into smooth skin as his mouth eased into a smile and he patted her shoulder. "Yeah, I'm sure nursing is cool and everything, but you'll have way more fun with us. This is what you were meant to do."
"Yeah," Stephanie nodded, forcing a smile and sneaking a wide-eyed glance at Nicki before her thoughts wandered back to what was taking place downstairs.
In the short time she had been living in the McMahon home, it wasn't unheard of to see wrestlers cutting through the living room and being led up to Vince's home office. Their home was grounds for work-related meetings and contract signings, and Stephanie was made a fan all over again watching it unfold before her very eyes. She was lucky enough to receive a real glimpse into the behind-the-scenes dealings of the wrestling business and, even as a casual fan, it was a wonderful treat to behold. The thought crossed her mind to sneak down the stairs and see if she could catch at least the tail-end of Vince's meeting, but she wasn't sure interruptions of any kind were allowed.
Shane had become her knowledge base for all things involving family life, and anytime she needed an answer, she went to him. "So, Shane, does our dad get mad if we interrupt him during a meeting?"
"At me, yes. At you, no," he laughed. "With me, I know better than to walk in when he's in the middle of business, but he would be a lot more lenient with you, because he's finally got you back after all these years. You can pretty much do no wrong in this house."
"Even throw a party without asking?" she quipped.
"Maybe not that, but you know what I'm trying to say," Shane laughed. "Want to go downstairs and spy on his meeting with Jericho?"
Stephanie exchanged glances with Nicki and smirked. "Actually, yeah. Let's do it."
Hanging out with Shane was akin to sneaking around with a best friend during a sleepover. He had just the right touch of playfulness in his personality to make fun out of anything, regardless of the situation. Even after only knowing him for a matter of days, Stephanie felt as if they had never been separated to begin with, and it eased her mind every time she thought back to home and wondered what was going on there. Through the great big wall of chaos, Shane was becoming one of the few constants she could depend on in her new life, and his role as her big brother was one that nobody else could ever replace.
Stephanie and Nicki pressed their hands to their mouths, trying valiantly to stifle their laughter as they spied on Vince from around the corner. There was a home library connected to the den Vince and Chris were occupying, and Shane had retreated to a chair in the far corner of the room, pretending to read a book in case Vince heard them and came barreling around the corner. That way, he would be able to play it off and act as if he wasn't guilty in the matter, while Stephanie and Nicki wouldn't suffer any repercussions at all, because there was no way Vince was punishing his daughter or her very best friend. Shane smirked when Stephanie physically moved Nicki out of the way so she could get a better look into the den.
The first conclusion she arrived at was that television hadn't done Chris a bit of justice, because he was much more handsome in person than the camera shots of him on WCW Nitro had advertised. His eyes were a piercing shade of blue and played nicely off of his bleached blond hair and healthy tan. Stephanie was mesmerized from the point she laid eyes on him, and if his attractive face hadn't completely taken her, surely his muscular build would have. Nicki poked Stephanie's back from behind, but she blindly swatted her away and tucked some unruly hair behind her ear, her longing gaze trailing Chris's chiseled biceps all the way down to the ripped set of abs showing through his skin-tight shirt.
When finished admiring the view, Stephanie guided her exploratory eyes back up to Chris's face to begin the swooning process all over again, but was shocked to find his electric blue eyes trained directly on her. Vince stopped speaking mid-sentence when he noticed that Chris was distracted, turning around to seek the source of his distraction, only to find Stephanie peeking around the corner. She stood in a stunned silence, not sure whether to rush away or wait for them to find some other source of entertainment, but her halted breathing flooded into a waterfall of relief when Vince smiled and waved her inside. "Come on in here, princess."
"I didn't mean to interrupt," Stephanie crept in guarded, with arms folded across her upper torso. "I'm sorry."
"You've got nothing to be sorry for," Vince said. He patted the spot beside him on the couch, and Stephanie took a seat, leaning into his gentle touch when he slipped his arm around her shoulders. He leaned in to whisper, "You don't mind if I call you princess, do you?"
"No, of course not," she replied. "I like it."
"That was my nickname for you when you were little."
"Oh," she said, frowning as she tried to recall a time long ago when her father may have called her by such a name. All details before age five or six were fuzzy, though, and she couldn't manage to recover a specific memory to confirm what Vince was telling her. He must have recognized the sheer concentration on her face, because she found him beaming when she broke away from her overtaking thoughts, and she sent him a shy smile, glancing across the room at Chris. "Hi. I watch you on TV all of the time. You're really great at what you do."
"Thanks," Chris grinned. "That's a very big compliment."
"Chris," Vince announced, "I'm sure you've heard at least a few of the details in the news as to what's been going on, but this is my daughter, Stephanie. Stephanie, this is Chris Jericho, as I'm assuming you know."
"He's really good, and so funny on the shows. You have to hire him," she rushed out.
Vince tossed his head back and laughed that signature, gruff cackle of his, pulling her even closer and using the crown of her head as a temporary resting spot for his chin. When Stephanie caught Chris's eye from across the room, he winked at her, his silent show of appreciation for her efforts in going to bat for him. She nearly melted, biting her upper lip and making a conscious effort not to allow her cheeks to flush. Still, she felt them burning with heat seconds later and knew she had been caught.
"You seem to have gotten a seal of approval here," Vince pointed out.
Chris chuckled and ran a hand over his hair. "Yeah, and coming from a McMahon, it's huge praise. I know I've said this already, but I really appreciate that you took the time to meet with me, Vince. I'm sure the past week hasn't been easy for your family, but I'm really happy to be here."
"I always keep my commitments," Vince answered, morphing back into business mode just that quickly. "I think we've just about discussed everything today. You're not free of your WCW contract until summertime, so today was more of a meeting than anything else, since it's only the end of December. What I want is to get you back in here in April and, by that point, I'll have a legal contract written up for you, with all of the things we talked about today set in stone. You'll have time to look it over and sign it if you agree to the terms, and we'll bring you in to debut next year, around August. Is there anything else you would like to cover today that we didn't get to?"
Chris glanced down at some papers in his hands and skimmed over them for a moment. "Uh...I think I pretty much asked all of the questions I had, so I'm good. Will I need to get in touch with your people come April, or will they be the ones calling me?"
"We'll call you ourselves, set a date and time, and you'll come back here to read and sign the actual contract. Now that I know your expectations, I'll be able to tailor the contract to your specific needs."
"All right," he clapped his hands, "that sounds great then."
"Very good," Vince released his hold on Stephanie to cross the room and shake Chris's hand firmly in his own. "You seem like a good fit for the company, and I look forward to doing business with you in the future."
"I look forward to it as well," Chris expressed. "It's been very nice meeting you," he told Vince, shifting his eyes to the young woman sitting behind him. "It was very nice meeting you, too, Stephanie."
"You as well," she stood and extended her hand to him. As she released her grip, the phone in the next room rang and, seconds after being answered, Shane was summoning Vince, telling him there was a call waiting for him on hold in his office. Vince was flustered for a moment, not knowing whether to walk Chris out first or come back for him after taking the call. If someone was calling his home phone, however, that meant their reason for contacting him was urgent, so accepting the call won out.
"I'm sorry, Chris. I've got to run, but Stephanie can show you to the door," Vince offered. "You don't mind doing that, do you? If you'd rather, I can grab Shane and have him do the honors."
"No, it's okay, I'm fine with it," Stephanie said. She was awarded a kiss on the cheek before he rushed out of the room, and she smiled at Chris, wordlessly beckoning him with her finger and requesting that he follow close behind. When cutting back through the library room she had first entered from, both Shane and Nicki were nowhere to be found, and she thought it odd, but she trudged onward. Tossing a glance behind her, she asked, "Did you park your car in the driveway or inside the garage?"
"In the driveway," Chris said, adding, "I didn't know Vince's personal garage was an option."
"Oh, well, I don't know if it normally is, but I've seen him let his guests do it when it's snowing out," Stephanie explained, taking Chris through the kitchen and past yet another sitting room, meant for enjoying light snacks and lounging. In the short time she had been living there, she had grown quite accustomed to where everything was located, be it the rooms or household supplies. Crazily enough, it was beginning to feel like home. "I've only been living here for like four days, though, so what do I really know?"
"You seem to be doing well," Chris complimented.
"Thanks, I'm trying. I sort of had a breakdown my first night here," Stephanie said, regretting the words the instant they rushed out of her mouth. Chris was a nice guy, that much was clear, but he was still a stranger and not someone she should have been confiding in with such private information. After the initial alarm rubbed off, she reflected inward and wondered why it was she felt comfortable enough to divulge such a thing to begin with. He put her more at ease than most people did upon first meeting them.
"I'm sorry to hear that," he responded. "I hope things get better, but I know they will. You've just got to stay positive."
They reached the front door and Stephanie grabbed her coat from the hanger near the door, rushing into it and sliding the zipper all the way up. It was a frigidly cold day in Connecticut, so she grabbed her gloves as well, not knowing how much time she would be spending outside. "Thanks for being so nice. Are you ready?"
"I'm ready," he smiled, having slipped his coat on at the same time as her. Stephanie disengaged the locked bolt and turned the handle, pushing the door open and stepping out onto the front porch. The first wave of air that hit her successfully threw her for a loop, and she began rubbing her arms to draw heat from the friction. "You can go back inside if you want to. My car's just right there," he said, pointing to it in the driveway.
"It's fine, I'll wait."
He nodded, reaching into his pocket and producing a set of car keys. Chris tossed them lowly a couple of times in his hands, jingling them absently and heading towards the first set of stairs leading to the driveway, but he paused abruptly, spinning back around. "Was it terrifying?"
Stephanie took a couple of steps forward, snow crunching under her boots and sticking in the grooves outlining the bottom. She slipped her hands into the pockets of her coat and leaned forward, thinking she had heard him wrong. "Sorry, what?"
"I know it's none of my business, but I'm just curious," Chris said. A rosy pink hue began spreading across his cheeks and down the bridge of his nose, and Stephanie imagined her face mirrored the same shade, being that the cold didn't typically agree with her sensitive skin. A few brave rays of sun peeked out from behind the mass of clouds in the sky and brightened what was otherwise a drab day. "Were you scared?"
"Honestly, I still am," Stephanie admitted. Her words were accompanied by cloud puffs, as the water vapor from her exhales condensed in front of her face. Chris's eyes grew keen with interest, begging her to expand on her answer, so she did. "I didn't find out until a matter of several days ago that the parents I had known all of my life had kidnapped me. I didn't know what to think, except that I had to find out who my real parents were and meet them."
"How did you know you were related to Vince and Linda?"
"The people who took me kept articles about my kidnapping, and I stumbled across them, so that was how I found out my real name was Stephanie McMahon."
"What did they tell you your name was?"
"Jennifer Crandall."
"Wow," Chris muttered, astounded.
"Yeah, it's crazy. Beyond crazy, actually," she said, cheeks growing numb from the brutal winter freeze. "I drove here most of the way, and a bunch of crazy stuff happened on my trip here, but when I got in town, I couldn't think of a way to find out where exactly my parents lived. I knew they were connected to the WWF, so I tossed a huge rock through the window at their headquarters, because I knew they would drive down to see what was going on and I could meet them that way."
"So that's why the glass was shattered. Wow."
"Like something out of a movie, isn't it?"
"Yeah, so surreal," he said. "Are you living here from now on?"
"Until I figure my life out and get my own place, yeah," she replied. "I was in school for nursing, but I'm going to try to transfer to a nursing program here. I don't think it's all that easy to do that on such short notice, but I'm just going to see what happens. If I need to take some time off before going back, I will."
"Being a nurse is hard work. You must be one intelligent woman."
"Thanks, I like to think so," Stephanie smiled. "Helping people is what I love to do. I had a stethoscope when I was a little girl, and if my family members got sick, I would nurse them back to health. I was only a first or second grader, and I would walk around trying to make people better."
"Sounds like you were meant to do that. Do you have memories of being kidnapped?"
"Nope."
"So you don't ever remember a time living with Vince and Linda up until this point?"
"Nope," she shook her head. "My earliest memory is of a birthday party my other parents had for me, and it was when I was turning four. I had already been with them for almost a year by the time that took place, and it's the only memory I can come up with from that early on."
"I'm so sorry this happened to you," Chris sympathized, eyes heavy with sorrow. "You deserve so much better than that."
"It's okay, but thank you for your sentiments. I'm just trying to take everything one day at a time," she replied. Chris trained his eyes on something behind her and, when Stephanie turned back to check, Shane was standing at the door and peeking his head out.
"Stephanie, we need you back in here! They have the results of the DNA test you took at the police station!" he shouted soundly. She called back that she would be right there and turned around to smile at Chris.
"I have to go, but it's been really nice talking with you. Thanks for showing me so much support."
"You're welcome," Chris said. "And thanks for vouching for me in there. You might have swayed Vince enough that he decided to hire me for sure when April comes."
"It was no problem," she said, struggling with how to close the conversation without making Chris feel as if she were cutting him off prematurely. "All right, so, I've got to get inside, but good luck with your job and everything. I'll probably see you sometime again when you come back in April. Enjoy the rest of your day."
"Thanks, you too. Go get inside where it's warm," he suggested. Chris sent her a dazzling smile before scurrying off to his car. Stephanie remained on the steps, waiting until he turned his car on, backed out of the driveway, and sent her a final wave, before she retreated back up the set of marble steps and inside the house. Her mind shifted back into business mode as she spied her entire family huddled around the main phone, waiting for her to join them so the end results could be read aloud.
"You ready?" Nicki asked, seated on the outskirts of the McMahons but equally as eager to find out what was waiting ahead. Stephanie took a deep breath, crossed the room, and knelt down between Vince and Linda, offering a single-word response to continue the proceedings.
"Ready."
